Discovery! Musket balls fired during ‘shot heard round the world’ battle found in Concord

 If you know your history about the Revolutionary War, or live in Massachusetts, you've likely heard about the  "Shot Heard 'Round the World." Archaeologists working on the site, now Minuteman National Park, found musket balls that date back to that historic event. I've also provided a little history about the location and a link to battle history at the end of this blog. 

(Photo: One of the musket balls found at Minute Man National Historic Park in Concord, Mass. Credit: National Park Service) 

Musket balls fired during ‘shot heard round the world’ battle found in Concord

By Dialynn Dwyer, Boston Com, July 9, 2024

Five musket balls fired during the event known as “The Shot Heard Round the World” on April 19, 1775 were recently discovered by archeologists working at the Minute Man National Historic Park in Concord.

Minute Man National Historical Park is the location of the opening battle of the Revolutionary War on April 19, 1775. 

According to the National Park Service, the musket balls were found by archeologists during preparations for the park’s Great American Outdoors Act rehabilitation project.

Analysis of the musket balls indicates that they were fired by colonial militia members at British forces during the battle at the North Bridge in Concord, a pivotal moment when militia leaders ordered members to shoot at government soldiers for the first time, the park service said. They were found in an area where records indicate British soldiers formed to prevent anyone from crossing the river, and further analysis revealed they were fired from the opposite side of the river.

“It’s incredible that we can stand here and hold what amounts to just a few seconds of history that changed the world almost 250 years ago,” Jarrad Fuoss, Minute Man Park ranger and historic weapons specialist, said in a statement. “These musket balls can be considered collectively as ‘The Shot Heard Round the World,’ and it is incredible that they have survived this long. It is also a poignant reminder that we are all stewards of this battlefield and are here to preserve and protect our shared history.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson called the event “The Shot Heard Round the World” in his 1837 Hymn, marking the significance of the moment that immediately escalated the conflict between colonial rebels and the British, according to the park service.

The musket balls will be on display at the Concord national park on Saturday during events focused on archeology at the historic site.

(Photo: The North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts. Credit: National Park Service)

ABOUT THE LOCATION: The North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts is often referred to as the location of the "shot heard round the world," and the beginning of the American War for Independence. On the morning of April 19, 1775 , Colonial Militia from Concord and surrounding towns exchanged gunfire with British regulars guarding the critical river crossing. Although the fighting at the North Bridge lasted only a few seconds, it marked the beginning of a massive battle that raged over 16 miles along the Bay Road from Boston to Concord, and included some 1,700 British regulars and over 4,000 Colonial militia.

FOR THE FULL STORY OF THE BATTLE: Visit the National Park Service Webpage: https://www.nps.gov/mima/north-bridge-questions.htm

Fun NH/ME Weekend PART 3: Visited Quaint Downtown Kennebunk

This is part 3 of a fun NH/ME Weekend, when after apple picking, we drove a little further east to the town of Kennebunk. Kennebunk is NOT Kennebunkport, and you'll learn the difference in today's blog, plus what we did. 

(Photo: The main street of Kennebunk, Maine. Credit: R.G.) 

KENNEBUNK IS NOT KENNEBUNKPORT - These are 2 different towns in eastern Maine but the town centers are located 5 miles apart and separated by two rivers.  Kennebunk is inland and Kennebunkport is along the coast.  Both are located in York County, southeastern Maine. 

(Sign at Rotary Park that highlights historic homes and sites in Kennebunk. Credit: R.G.) 

DOWNTOWN  - There are some nice shops downtown, and several restaurants. We did enjoy going into one of the Maine gift shops. Only one restaurant was open though, so we opted for our own thing.

LUNCH AND WATERFALLS - We decided to get a sub to split, and Dunkin' Donuts for drinks. We drove through town looking for a place to eat, and found a beautiful waterfall on the town's edge, near Rotary Park.

(Photos of the falls and river - our view at lunch. Credit: R.G.) 

  

MUSEUM IN THE STREETS - The town worked with a business called "Museum in the Streets" to create historic signs and allow visitors to take tour of history. The signage includes a series of 25 panels that make up the tour, with rare photographs, documents and records of Kennebunk's history.  

THE FORMER MILL NEXT TO THE FALLS - Here's the historic inscription of the sign about the former Mill:   Numerous manufacturers have occupied this site throughout Kennebunk’s history. Since the first settlement of Kennebunk in the mid 1600s, until now, the Mousam River has been the site of many industries including sawmills, textile and matting mills, shoe mills, iron mills, paper mills, grist mills, trunk and leatherboard manufacturers, as well as sash and blind manufacturing mills. This building, now known as the Lafayette Center, was built following a destructive fire in 1903. Built from brick, this became the site of the Goodall Worsted (Matting) Company and in 1926 became the home of the Kesslen Shoe Company which closed in 1972. Now this building houses several businesses. - 

BONUS PLACE IN KENNEBUNK!!

SPECIAL FLASHBACK TO MAY 2009- We were about 5 minutes away from the famous "Wedding Cake House" where we stopped in May 2009 (1 month before our wedding on June 26, 2009). So, if you're in Kennebunk, you NEED to stop by the house- You can't get inside, but you can take pictures like we did in this throwback 15 Years Ago!! "

THE WEDDING CAKE HOUSE" - A plaque placed at the side door of the George W. Bourne House in Kennebunk, Maine by the Maine Society, Daughters of American Colonists, tells us that "In 1825 the shipbuilder George Washington Bourne (1801 - 1856) brought his bride, Jane, to this new brick Federal-style home. Inspired by Milan's Gothic Cathedral, Bourne started the house decorations in 1852, using only hand tools. He completed the work shortly before his death. By century's close, the name "Wedding Cake House" was widely applied.

Idiot of the Week: Former NFL player allegedly urinated on airline passenger

This week's idiot blames sleep medication for urinating on an elderly passenger and hitting another. He's also a former NFL Football player. I don't remember sleep medication inspiring anyone to pee on anyone before, or hit anyone. Here's the story from the Boston Globe.

(Photo: Former NFL player Gosder Cherilus  Credit: NFL) 

Former NFL, BC player issues brief statement after allegedly urinating on passenger during flight

By Pat Greenhouse / The Boston Globe /By Associated Press August 19, 2024

BOSTON (AP) — A former NFL player accused of drunkenly hitting one man and urinating on another during a flight from Boston to Dublin has been arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, the Massachusetts State Police said Monday.

Gosder Cherilus, a first-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2008 and also played for the Indianapolis Colts and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was arrested early Sunday after the Delta Air Lines flight returned to Logan International Airport.

Troopers ordered the 40-year-old from Wakefield, near Boston, to leave the plane but he “became irate and uncooperative,” police said. He was then arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and disturbing a flight crew.

According to the police report, he appeared drunk when he boarded the plane, allegedly argued with the flight crew about his seat and an hour into the flight urinated on an elderly passenger. He then hit another passenger and took that passenger’s seat before passing out, the report says.

The Boston Globe said Cherilus was arraigned Monday in East Boston District Court.

“It’s pretty egregious what you did, as alleged,” Judge Debra A. DelVecchio told Cherilus.

In a post Monday on the social platform X, Cherilus apologized to the passengers and flight crew, saying he had taken a sleeping medication that he doesn’t normally use and that this caused his bad behavior.

A phone number could not be found for Cherilus. The Globe reports that he and his attorney, Brian Sullivan, did not speak to reporters as they left the court.

In a statement Monday, Delta confirmed there had been an “unruly customer” on the flight and that the other passengers were later flown to Dublin. The airline did not say how long the flight was delayed.

“Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful behavior and will cooperate with law enforcement to that end,” the company said in a statement. “We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel.”

Hero of the Week: Deputy climbs into driver's truck during medical emergency

Deputies Nicole Miron and Anthony Gross (just 15 days on the force) are the heroes of the week, as they saved a man having a medical episode while driving on an highway in Michigan! Deputy Gross was driving and pulled alongside the car, and Deputy Miron climbed inside to stop the vehicle! Here's the amazing story of these two heroes.

Deputy climbs into driver's truck during medical emergency in Mount Clemens 

By: WXYZ Web Team Sep 18, 2024

A life-saving scene played out on a busy stretch of Gratiot Avenue last week with a heroic act by a Macomb County sheriff's deputy.

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (WXYZ) — A life-saving scene played out on a busy stretch of Gratiot Avenue last week with a heroic act by a Macomb County sheriff's deputy.    

Deputies Nicole Miron and Anthony Gross were notified on Sept. 12 around 2:15 p.m. that a silver GMC Sierra pickup truck was driving erratically in Mount Clemens on southbound Gratiot Avenue near Church Street.

They found the driver on Gratiot Avenue near Remick Drive and turned on their lights and siren, but the 63-year-old driver failed to stop and continued on at about 5 mph.

Gross was driving, and Miron rolled down her window and tried to get him to stop, but he appeared to be in a daze. The driver managed to briefly hit his brakes and that's when Miron climbed from her passenger seat into the moving truck. The deputy was able to stop the truck.

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/Qm3LG0TnXW4?si=7ivi7jK96FkvsIhj

******************************************************* *

"Luckily, I am very small. When I went through the window, it was a big-size front kind of window, I was able to slide right through. I don't think any of my gun or gear touched him, so I slid through, my small stature helped and the fact that we were a two-man car helped," Miron told us on Wednesday.

The Clinton Township Fire Department was called in to treat the driver and he was taken to the hospital. His family was alerted.

It appears the driver had experienced a medical episode.

“I commend Deputy Miron for putting herself in harm’s way to help a citizen in need and protect other drivers on the roadway,” Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham said in a statement. “Due to her quick thinking and selfless actions, she safely ended what could have been a tragic situation.”

DISCOVERY! Mississippi man finds rare mammoth tusk, first in the state

Fossil finds are fascinating, especially when its one of a prehistoric mammal or dinosaur that has never been found before in a certain location. Last month, an amateur fossil hunter found a tusk to a Mammoth in a state one has never been seen before. Here's the story from the Clarion-Ledger:

( Photo: A Mammoth tusk is a giant discovery for Mississippi Jonathan Leard (orange shirt) of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality's Office of Geology and Eddie Templeton of Madison look at the position of a mammoth tusk that Templeton recently found in a Madison County Creek.
 Credit:  Jonathan Leard/Special to The Clarion-Ledger )  

Mississippi man finds rare mammoth tusk, first in the state 

'It was huge. This was a big, big animal. This would have dwarfed a woolly mammoth.' 

Brian Broom, Mississippi Clarion Ledger, Aug 13, 2024

A Madison man was recently doing something he frequently does; walking along a creek looking for fossils and artifacts in Madison County. But this time he found something he never expected, a tusk from a giant mammoth and it's the first of its kind ever documented in the state.

"It was exciting," said Eddie Templeton. "I knew it was a tusk.

"It didn't occur to me it could be a mammoth tusk instead of a mastodon tusk until later. When I learned it was a mammoth and not a mastodon, I got even more excited. I've never found any part of a mammoth. I always hoped to find a part of a mammoth, but that's pretty rare down here."

Templeton has found many fossils including a petrified bone from a saber-toothed cat, more commonly called a saber-toothed tiger, so he knew what to do. He notified the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality's Office of Geology and the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. 

"For Mississippi, this is a pretty substantial find," said James Starnes, MDEQ geologist. "It's pretty rare in general down here. The tusks don't preserve well."

So, finding any part of a tusk is rare, but coming from a mammoth makes it even more rare. Mastodons once roamed the state and their remains are much more common because they are similar to white-tailed deer in that they could live in a variety of habitats. Mammoths, on the other hand, were more specialized and needed open grasslands for feeding and had less suitable habitat than mastodons, so their numbers were fewer.

"This is not something you see every day," Starnes said. "This takes the cake when it comes to Ice Age fossils."

They were also massive. The tusk Templeton found came from a Columbian mammoth that lived between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago, not the more famous, but smaller woolly mammoth. Columbian mammoths could grow up to 15 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh in excess of 10 tons. Woolly mammoths were about 9-10 feet tall at the shoulder as were mastodons according to the National Park Service.

"It was huge," Starnes said. "This was a big, big animal. This would have dwarfed a woolly mammoth."

In fact, it would have dwarfed anything else that lived on land in the state. Starnes said it's the largest known mammal to ever walk in Mississippi.

(Photo: George Phillips, paleontologist with the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, said the Columbian mammoth tusk that was recently found in Mississippi is the first officially documented in the state. Credit: Clarion Ledger) 

What happens to the mammoth tusk next? 

Templeton, Starnes and Jonathan Leard, also of MDEQ, excavated the tusk and built a plaster jacket around it for protection. It was then taken to the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science and turned over to paleontologist George Phillips.

Phillips said it's the first Columbian mammoth tusk ever officially documented in the state. He said it was just a matter of time before one was found.

"We've got plenty of mammoth teeth, so a tusk was bound to show up," Phillips said. "It's an impressive find. We knew one would show up sooner or later."

Phillips said the tusk will be allowed to dry and then preserved by infusing a special type of glue into it. He also said that while it's a very important find, it's anybody's guess as to when it will go on display for the public to view because it's a slow process. "Everybody wants to know that," Phillips said. "Right now, we're focusing on other exhibits."

Work Feature Story: Rob Gutro: Clear Science in the Forecast

Since I'm retiring from my day job in mid-October, one of the talented science writers I work with insisted on doing a feature article about my career. She now knows more about my career than anyone else! I was very humbled by it, and it posted recently on a NASA webpage with some of my favorite pictures. Here's the article.

 

 (Image: Rob Gutro serves as deputy news chief at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Photo courtesy of Rob Gutro)

Rob Gutro: Clear Science in the Forecast

On to the Next Chapter 

Rob Gutro has never been one to stay idle. From his start working at a paper factory as a teenager, Rob navigated his way to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center where he serves as the deputy news chief in the Office of Communications until he retires in October 2024.

In this role, Rob manages all the media products, like news stories and videos, that come out of Goddard. He also edits content, creates detailed reports, and coordinates media requests, leaning on decades of experience in communications to help the Goddard newsroom run smoothly.

But his path to NASA was neither paved nor linear. It took a strong will and unflagging passion to overcome obstacles along the way and rise to his current role.

Weathering the Journey 

Rob began working at a young age, first at a paper factory, then a bank, and then a law office. But none of these jobs were ever his end goal.

“I loved music as a teenager and always wanted to work on the radio,” Rob says. So he got a degree in radio and television from Northeast Broadcasting School in Boston. “I went straight into radio broadcasting and continued that part-time for 20 years.”

He started out hosting a weekend radio show, but didn’t intend for it to be a career for financial reasons. So he completed another degree, this time in English and business at Suffolk University in Boston. “I knew that to do the type of broadcasting I wanted to do, I needed to learn how to write so I could explain things via stories and reporting,” Rob says. “And I was particularly fascinated by the weather, so I wanted to be able to communicate broadly about that.”

He then worked for the USDA as a writer and editor for a year before joining NOAA as a writer in the 1990s. The highlight of his NOAA career was a work detail he did for the National Hurricane Center during hurricane season in 1993. He enjoyed it so much he eventually decided to go back to school again, earning a degree in meteorology from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. “I call it my third degree burn,” he jokes.

During the program, he refined his broadcasting skills and immersed himself in the science behind the weather and forecasting. He was focusing on what he loved, though it wasn’t an easy journey.

“When I went back to school for meteorology I was working two jobs and making minimum wage, living off of ramen noodles and tuna fish every day because that was all I could afford,” Rob says. “But I was determined!”

Upon graduation, he began working for a private weather company doing marketing and writing. Rob balanced multiple jobs, including a part-time radio gig, while continually applying to The Weather Channel. After eight years of applications, he was finally hired as a radio broadcast meteorologist! “I loved being on the air with The Weather Channel and doing radio broadcasts,” Rob says.

“I think the key to everything is persistence and patience,” Rob says. “My advice to everybody is no matter what your goal is, keep pursuing it because eventually it will happen!”

Navigating NASA Rob’s desire to understand climate change and return to Maryland brought him to NASA. He became an Earth science writer at NASA Goddard in 2000. By 2005, he was the manager of the Earth science news team, and in 2009 he began working with the James Webb Space Telescope team and also obtained his current role of deputy news chief.

(Image: Rob and Lynn to the rescue! One of the highlights of Rob’s career at NASA was working with Lynn Jenner for more than 20 years. Together, the duo –– photographed here at a work party –– managed web pages about hurricanes and fires. Courtesy of Rob Gutro)

“My degrees have served me well at NASA because I work with the media, I write, and I have to understand science,” Rob says.

His favorite NASA project was the now-retired NASA hurricane page, which he wrote content for and kept updated every single day for the 15 years it was active. The media frequently used NASA imagery shared on the hurricane page, and people worldwide used the information to make decisions about their safety during hurricanes.

“I’ll never forget one experience, where a woman in the Philippines asked if she should evacuate her mother from a nursing home on the island of Visayas,” Rob says. “I said yes, because the island was going to be inundated by an eight-foot storm surge.” So she did, and two weeks later she emailed Rob again saying the entire nursing home was flooded to the roof — her mother would have likely drowned if she’d stayed.

On to the Next Chapter 

As busy as his work life has been — Rob had three jobs at any given time until he was 40 years old — his off duty hours haven’t been idle either. In January 2025, he’s publishing his twelfth book, and has another six already mostly written.

“I’m retiring from NASA soon and will focus on my books, continuing the fundraising lectures for animal rescues that I’ve done for the last decade, and teaching paranormal courses in night school for two adult education programs,” Rob says. “And my husband and I have three dogs to keep us busy — they are the joy of my life!”

(IMAGE: Rob’s three dogs, as pictured on a 2023 Christmas card. Photo courtesy of Rob Gutro)

Reflecting on his career, Rob singles out blogging as one of the most effective tools he’s used over the years.

“Whether you want to write a book or science articles, one of the easiest ways to begin is by starting a blog and writing about things you like,” he says. That’s one key to his productivity, as he says, “Whatever you write can always be repurposed, and if you’re constantly leaning into things you’re passionate about, you’ll eventually end up exactly where you’re meant to be.”

By Ashley Balzer NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. 

 Source: https://www.nasa.gov/people-of-nasa/rob-gutro-clear-science-in-the-forecast/

Horrible architecture Part 3: Interior and Exterior Nightmares

 Since the previous 2 weeks of "horrible architecture" were interesting, here's one more post that includes exterior designs and interiors that were poorly planned.  The places that people install toilets is just astounding.  Enjoy!  

(Watch your head going up the stairs!) 

CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS: First local extinction in the U.S. due to sea level rise

Climate change gave the U.S. the hottest summer (so far) on record, and it's also responsible for melting global ice and sea level rise. One of the results of all of these things is the extinction of species - animal and plant. Today's blog is about one such extinction in the U.S.

First local extinction in the U.S. due to sea level rise

Florida Museum, July 14, 2024    Jerald Pinson • July 9, 2024

The United States has lost its only stand of the massive Key Largo tree cactus in what researchers believe is the first local extinction of a species caused by sea level rise in the country.

The Key Largo tree cactus (Pilosocereus millspaughii) still grows on a few scattered islands in the Caribbean, including northern Cuba and parts of the Bahamas. In the United States, it was restricted to a single population in the Florida Keys, first discovered in 1992 and monitored intermittently since.

Salt water intrusion from rising seas, soil depletion from hurricanes and high tides, and herbivory by mammals had put significant pressure on the population. By 2021, what had been a thriving stand of about 150 stems was reduced to six ailing fragments, which researchers salvaged for off-site cultivation to ensure their survival.

“Unfortunately, the Key Largo tree cactus may be a bellwether for how other low-lying coastal plants will respond to climate change,” said Jennifer Possley, director of regional conservation at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and lead author on a study published Tuesday, July 9 that documents the population’s decline.

For more information about other endangered U.S. Cacti, read the rest of the article here: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/first-local-extinction-in-the-u-s-due-to-sea-level-rise/

Fun NH/ME Weekend PART 2: Apple and Peach picking and an Interesting Guy

 What do you do for entertainment in southern Maine and New Hampshire? Well, the weekend of August 24-25th offered  Apple and Peach picking and a Pride Festival, so we did both!  Last Monday you read about the Pride Festival. Today's blog is about the Apple and Peach Picking and an interesting guy we met, who was holding a yard sale.  

GOOD PICKINGS?  - In the local newspaper one of the nearby farms (about 20 minutes away from us in southern Maine) advertised for blueberry, apple, peach and corn picking! So, we decided to go. The farm was huge and it was located in Wells, Maine (which also abuts to the Atlantic Ocean if you go as far east as possible). 

APPLE AND PEACH PICKING - It turns out that the Blueberry season in southern Maine is in June and July. Since we went at the end of August, there was nothing left. Same with Strawberries, which apparently ripen in June and July. So, we opted for the one type of Apple ready. Couldn't tell you the name of it... but Tom was better at picking because he's taller. We also got about 6 peaches, because they weren't yet ripe. So, it was a short trip with about 12 apples and 6 peaches, but it was fun nonetheless.   

SPILLER FARM - Located in Wells, this farm also had raspberries, corn, tomatoes, cantaloupe and more. It's a cash-only business, too. It's also a bring your own Bag place. Fortunately, we always have reusable bags in the pickup truck.  Here's the website: http://spillerfarm.com/  

(The peaches were not yet ripe)

INTERESTING YARD SALER - On the way to the farm, we saw a rancher-style house on the road (it was a very rural main road, one lane each way)- and houses were right up on the road. The homeowner put a Garage Sale sign up and had about 10 tables of glassware, toys, books, clothes, tools, you name it!  - So we stopped. The man was about 75 or so, balding with a long white beard, and sun tanned, wrinkled face with a smile. Turns out he invented a type scalpel that cauterizes wounds. He told us how he would travel for 2 weeks at a time between hospitals. We learned he made a great living, and his wife ran a daycare, but has since passed (which accounted for all the toys from the 1970s and 80s).  Fascinating guy!  

NEXT MONDAY: Part 3: Exploring Historic Downtown Kennebunk 

Idiot of the Week; KARMA in Action: Arrested: Former Colorado clerk Tina Peters, one-time hero to election deniers

 This week's idiot is a recipient of KARMA.  She is one of the election deniers from the election of 2020, who also decided to commit other crimes and was arrested: Former Colorado clerk Tina Peters. was convicted of a computer breach. 

(Photo: Tina Peters. Credit: AP)

Former Colorado clerk Tina Peters, one-time hero to election deniers, convicted in computer breach

By COLLEEN SLEVIN, Associated Press, August 12, 2024

DENVER (AP) — Former Colorado clerk Tina Peters, the first local election official to be charged with a security breach after the 2020 election as unfounded conspiracy theories swirled, was found guilty by a jury on most charges Monday.

Peters, a one-time hero to election deniers, was accused of using someone else’s security badge to give an expert affiliated with My Pillow chief executive Mike Lindell access to the Mesa County election system and deceiving other officials about that person’s identity.

Lindell is a prominent promoter of false claims that voting machines were manipulated to steal the election from Donald Trump. His online broadcasting site has been showing a livestream of Peters’ trial and sending out daily email updates, sometimes asking for prayers for Peters and including statements from her.

Prosecutors said Peters was seeking fame and became “fixated” on voting problems after becoming involved with those who had questioned the accuracy of the 2020 presidential election results.

The breach Peters was charged of orchestrating heightened concerns over potential insider threats, in which rogue election workers sympathetic to partisan lies could use their access and knowledge to launch an attack from within.

Peters was convicted of three counts of attempting to influence a public servant, one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty and failing to comply with the secretary of state.

She was found not guilty of identity theft, one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation and one count of criminal impersonation, rejecting that in those instances Peters had used the identity of the security badge’s owner, a local man named Gerald Wood, without his permission.

She will be sentenced Oct. 3. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, whose office helped launch the investigation into Peters, said she will now face the consequences for compromising her own election equipment “trying to prove Trump’s Big Lie.”

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said the verdict sent a message. “Today’s verdict is a warning to others that they will face serious consequences if they attempt to illegally tamper with our voting processes or election systems. I want to be clear—our elections are safe and fair,” he said in a statement.

Heroes of the Week: Prince George's County Maryland Firefighters Free a Fawn

Firefighters are heroes and they're asked to do a lot of different things. This week's heroes are firemen from Maryland who were called to help free a fawn stuck in a fence!

 

Firefighters were able to calm the baby, who was uninjured, and set it free. The fawn scampered off to its momma, who was watching the action closely from the nearby woods. (Photo courtesy of the Prince George's Fire and Rescue Department)

Fawn Trapped In Fence Rescued By Prince George's Firefighters

PATCH NEWS, Aug 27, 2024

A fawn trapped in a wrought iron fence was rescued Friday by Prince George's firefighters and reunited with her mom.

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Firefighters from Station 842 in Oxon Hill helped rescue a fawn who was trapped in a wrought iron fence near their fire station Friday.

Firefighters were able to calm the baby, who was uninjured, and set it free. The fawn scampered off to its momma, who was watching the action closely from the nearby woods.

(Photo: Official Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department Page) 

Awesome Supernatural Fiction: Dead Waters by Anton Strout: You'll want to read it quickly- it's that good!

 As a guy who works with paranormal stuff daily in my off-time, I happened upon a fiction book about a team of paranormal investigators with various supernatural powers. The book "Dead Waters" by Anton Strout was the fourth in the "Simon Canderous" series, and it was so darn good I read it in about 5 days (that's fast for me). Wow. The characters were great, the story was an intriguing mystery and the villains were crazy. Here's my take on this fun book! 

ABOUT THE CHARACTERS -  Simon Canderous a 20-something guy, has a power where he can touch something and see whom touched it in the past and what happened to them. His girlfriend Jane has the power of technomancy- the ability to read into technology and use it against adversaries. Their colleague Connor is a medium who can communicate with earthbound ghosts, Connor's older brother, Aiden is 40 year-old vampire. Together they work for an organization that investigates all things paranormal. They are managed by a 60 something man called "The Inspectre" (ghost pun here!). 

THE BOOK WAS AMAZING - I loved the characters. The writer allows you to visualize what's happening very easily. When you think you've figured out what's happening, there's a twist, and when the various villains are unveiled it gets crazy. Villains call on underwater zombies and ghosts from horrible ship accidents- and those aren't the main protagonists! I had a hard time putting this book down, and I ordered the first 3 in the series already. This was book 4, and it hooked me. 

ABOUT THE BOOK - Simon Canderous, of the Department of Extraordinary Affairs, is used to fighting vampires and zombies. But the strange murder of a professor has everyone stumped. And it's making some people crazy. Literally.